The unidentified drones flying over New Jersey continue to captivate the nation — because nobody is quite sure where they are from or what they are doing. Videos of drones are flooding X, with some saying they have seen drones the size of cars.
Politicians on both sides of the political aisle seem perplexed. Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he saw some near his house, as did former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) also demanded “transparency” from the Biden administration.
Attempting to calm the waters, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI released a joint statement, saying the aircraft do not “pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” This came after Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) put forward the idea that the drones originated from an Iranian “mothership.”
The statement, lacking an explanation of the drones’ origin, did not do anything to quiet the discussion — if anything, it increased it. One analyst suggested the drones were being used by foreign powers to distract Americans from other threats.
Some believe the US military has been conducting some sort of classified operation. Joe Rogan highlighted a TikTok from the CEO of a drone manufacturer, who claimed the federal government may be searching for a lost Ukrainian nuke — though there is no evidence to support this.
Novelist and commentator Walter Kirn asserted a similar idea, saying a “good source” told him the drones are “looking for a very serious weapon.” As the government stays silent, speculation grows.
President-elect Donald Trump jokingly guessed the drones were delivering McDonald's to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). But he also demanded the government tell the public what the drones were; otherwise, he suggested Americans should “shoot them down.”
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took the opportunity to request expanded powers from Congress for both state and federal authorities, claiming the department is “limited” in its ability to “incapacitate those drones.” Klobuchar also said that more regulations will be required as drones become more popular.
The situation highlights two major trends that have been developing over the past decade: rapid technological advancement and degrading trust in official institutions. Drones do objectively pose a problem; a drone sighting shut down a New York airport and, as Sen. Klobuchar said, localities might have reason to ban drones from spying on people’s picnics.
With so much rising distrust, vague statements from government officials do nothing to help (New Jersey Senator-elect Andy Kim called them “unhelpful”). The Biden administration’s failure to be transparent with the American people will only serve to create a vicious cycle of speculation and mistrust.
